Harry Hauenschild reflects on his family's involvement in politics; his early role within trade unions; his memories of 1957 Labor Party split; the relationship between unions and the Labor Party; the formation of the Australian Metal Workers' Union (AMWU); the Nicklin and Gair governments; the anti-Whitlam stand of the Bjelke-Petersen government and its influence on the 1974 state election; the quality of Labor Party leaders and role of electoral system; the relationship between Trades Hall-affiliated unions and the Australian Workers' Union at the time of the 1957 ALP split; influence of the Queensland Central Executive (QCE) of the Labor Party on policy and candidate selections; conservative parties' criticisms of union involvement in Labor Party politics; Jack Egerton; becoming president of the Queensland Trades and Labour Council; factors behind 1980 federal intervention in the Queensland branch of the Labor Party; first signs of internal party unrest leading to intervention; reasons why he left the Labor Party; financial position of the Labor Party in Queensland post-intervention; fight to retain assets during intervention; risk of intervention causing a repeat of the 1957 ALP split; the role of parliamentary leader Ed Casey; the involvement in intervention of Denis Murphy and Peter Beattie and their subsequent contributions.

Hauenschild discusses the different views on intervention between and within unions; Bob Hawke and his views on intervention; the advent of Goss government and appointment to oversee apprentice training in Queensland; the South East Queensland Electricity Board (SEQEB) dispute and impact; the union movement's response to government's street march ban and use of police; operations of the police Special Branch and the union movement; implications of government's legal action against Storemen and Packers' Union official; the impact of intervention in the Labor Party on union membership; the benefits of a Labor Party government to the union movement and benefits of being affiliated to the party; lack of union and rank-and-file representation in Labor governments; Bligh government's privatisation policies; the role of factions in the Labor Party; effectiveness of anti-union political messages and impact of enterprise bargaining; contemporary trade union leadership; the future of unionism; Tom Burns, his leadership after 1974 state election; response by the union movement to the election of the Goss government in 1989; influence of the Australian Workers' Union within the Labor Party; his involvement with Australian Workers' Heritage Centre; fundraising for Worker's Heritage Centre; being awarded the Order of Australia (1988); the future of the Labor Party.

Biography/History

Harry Hauenschild was the former President of the Trades and Labour Council of Queensland (1976-1990)

Notes

This interview is part of a joint project between the Queensland Chapter of the Don Dunstan Foundation and the National Library of Australia.

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